Cleaning device



' May 10, 1927.

H. L. GRAY CLEANING DEVYICE Filed May 20, 1925 ATI'OP NEYS Y Patented May 10, 1927.

HIRAM LIGGETT GRAY, OF SCARSDA-LE, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO OAKITE PRODUCTS,

' INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION" OF NEW YORK.

CLEANING DEVICE.

Application filed May 20, 1925. Serial No. 31,584.

My invention relates to cleaning devices and has for its object to provide a novel and simpledevice for. efliciently cleaning the.

and edible Oils. Other more specific objects of the invention will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of" novelty will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates an example of the invention Without defining its limits, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal' section of a conventional tank car showing the cleaning device in operation thereon; Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 22 of Fig. 1 and Fi 3 is .an elevation, on an enlarged scale,o the cleaning device.

As shown in the drawing, the cleaning device comprises an easily movable support, constructed for instance in the form of a tripod 5 mounted upon suitable wheels 6 or equivalent means to facilitatethe shifting 5 about of the cleaning device at will, said.

support carrying a bearing 7 as shown in Fig. 2. Preferably the tripod 5 is foldable so that the device may be folded both to facilitate storage and shipment thereof and to permit said device to be readily introduced into the interior of the tank which is to be cleaned; for this purpose the members of the tripod 5- may be pivotally connected at 8.with the bearing 7 and movable tie rods 9 may be provided for maintaining the tripodrigidly in its operative position as shown in Fig. 3. It will be understood that the illustrated arrangement is only an example and that any other suitable construction may be substituted whereby the results desired are attained. The means whereby the cleaning operation is performed comprises a centrifugalgsprayer, rotatably mounted in the bearing 7 and consisting of a pluralityof radial pipes 10, eachiprovided with a suitable nozzle 11 at theirexit ends;

the nozzles 11 preferably are constructed and arranged so as to beadjustable both 'as to-direction of spray and diameter of passage. In the preferred construction, the

arrangement is suchthat the exit ends of the nozzles 11, in the practical use'of the device,

are located in relatively close roximity to the surface upon which the evice s designed to operate; this result may be obtained by properly designing the devices in different dimensions or by constructing the same so that an equivalent result may be obtained in an other suitable manner. A coupling connection 12 of any conventional type is provided on the bearing 7 for detachably accommodating one end of a hose 13 orv ts equlvalent, whereby a cleaning material is conducted to the pipe 10.

The cleaning device is particularly adapted for. cleaning the interior of tank cars such as are used for carrying various grades of petroleum and edible oils and enables the tanks of such cars to be interiorly cleaned 1n a simple and efficient manner whenever required as, for instance, when it is desired to transfer the car from service in the transk portationof one sort of oil to that of another 011 or to permit it to be used for carrying other liquids'without contamination thereof. Suchtank cars are frequently provided with steam pipes 14 running longitudinally along the bottom of the tank 15 for thepur pose of heating the heavy oils, constituting the contents, and rendering them fluid so that said oils may easily flow from the tank 15 through the usual outlet 16 provided for I this purpose regardless of existing external temperatures. Tank cars of the class referred to include also a manhole 17 through which the contents may be introduced and whereby access to the interior of the tank may be had; such manholes 17 generally are of more or less restricted dimensions with. respect to the tanks of which they form a part.

. In using the device for the purpose of cleaning the interior of such" tanks 15 the device, with the tripod 5 in its folded con 'dition, is passed through the manhole 17 into said tank; because of the fact that the. device is foldable into a compact form or otherwise constructed to facilitate its entry through'said manhole, this introduction into the tank 15 is easily accomplished even though the manhole 17 is of restricted dimensions. After the device has been passed in wardly through said manhole 17, the tripod 5 is unfolded to its operative position and fixed therein by the tie rods 9; this operation is easily performed by reaching through sald manhole 17. The device, in its operative condition, is then placed upon the bottom of the .tank 15 as shown in 2, with the wheels 6 between the pipes 14 by which they are guided as the device is moved length-- wise of the tank in the manner to be more fully described hereinafter. When the device is in its operative position, for instance,

within said tank 15, the exit ends of the nozzles 11 are in relatively close proximity to the inner surface of the tank as indicated in Fig. 2. The hose 13 is thenconnccted at one end with the coupling connection 12 and at its other end, which is located extcriorly of the tank 15,-co1nmunicates with the outlet side of a pump 18 of suitable form, it

" being understood that the hose 13 passes into the tank 15 through the manhole 17. The

suction side of the pump 18 is connected by means of a pipe 19 with the outlet 16 of the tank 15. I

When the device has-been put in place in the tank 15 and connected. in the manner set forth, the cleaning device is moved toward one end of the tank into a osition in which the sprayer is closely a jacent to the one interior end surface thereof. At this time 'or previously,-water is introduced into the tank to the depth of approximately from six to twelve inches, and steam is passed through the pipes 14 to heat said water. A soluble cleaning material may then be introduced into the water and the pump 18 started. The latter will accordingly draw thecleaning solution through the drainage outlet 16 and pipe- 19 and will pump it through the hose 13 to the sprayer 10 which,

as a result of the reaction of the cleaning material escaping at the exit ends of the nozzles 11, will'begin and continue to whirlaround its axis as long as the pump 18 is in operation. be sprayed through the nozzles 11 agains the end face and the interior surface of the tank 15 of the'tank car. An attendantwill then slowly pull the hose 13 from just outside of the manhole 17 and will thus pull the tripod and the sprayer 10 backwardly until the center of the tank has been reached; one-v half of the car having in this way been cleaned, the .tri od 5 is turned around and moved to a position contiguous'to the opposite end of the tank, The tripod and sprayer are again drawn backwardtoward the center of the tank and the cleaning of the other half of the tank accomplished in the same The solution will consequently,

has been utilsprayed through the nozzles 11 upon the surface of said tank or its equivalent; during such rinsing operation the water is simply permitted to drain from the tank 15 through the pipe 19. If desired, the introduction of the cleaning device into the tank and the utilization thereof for cleaning said tank may be preceded by steaming the interior .of the latter, that is by filling said tank with steam to thin and soften the heavier oils.

After the cleaning of the tank in the indicated manner. has been completed the tripod 5 is folded and the entire device is drawn out of the tank through the manhole 17 and disconnected from the pump 18 which itself is disconnected from the outlet 16. The

cleaning solution remaining in the tank 15 may then be easily'drained therefrom.

The device provides a simple means whereby theinterior of tank cars and other tanks,

the interior of which is not readily accessible, may beefliciently cleaned, with'a minimum expenditure of t1me and effort. The nozzles 11 may be adjusted to produce the most effective sprays in the most eflicient directions. The device requires no skilled attention and may be used in any number of difi'erentways with suitable cleaning fluids, which may be either liquid or gaseous to meet the requirements of any particular case.

the nozzles 11 are in relatively close proximity to the surface being cleaned, the hot cleaning, solution is applied to such'surface .with maximum eflicienc'y and thus'fully and quickly removes all traces of oil or its equivalent therefrom. The adjustability of the nozzles 11 makes it further possible to cause the cleaning solution to hit the surface being cleaned at different angles to secure the best results while the speed of rotation of the pipes 10 and nozzles 11 may be varied to adjust the speed ofprojection of'the streams of cleaningmaterial toward said surface; in

addition, small streams of high-velocity or streams of lar er volume and lower velocity may.- be provi ed at will by'proper adjustment of the nozzles 11.- In other words, a variety of adjustments are possible to bring about a most-eflicientjoperation of the-device If the tank is not equipped-with heatin co ls-or equivalent devices and-it is desire to utilized the cleaning solution and the rinse Because of the fact that (the exit ends of under diiferent'circumstances and conditions.

the'li' solution and rinse water or either of them, may be brought to a heated condition in. any'suitable manner.

While the cleaning device is particularly adapted for cleaningtanks which are used for carrying oils in order to. permit the r tanks to be used for successively transport- ,ing different kinds of oils without any further intermission than is required for carrying out the cleaning process, said device is wateiyina heated condition as is preferred,

equally well adapted for cleaning tanks which are used for containing acids, milk and other liquids.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described maybe made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: 1. A device for cleaning the. interior of tanks comprising a travelling l'oldahle support, a sprayer mounted upon said support and ahose connection whereby said sprayer connected with a. source of material to be sprayed and whereby said support is pulled along to progressively advance the sprayer in the direction of pull..

,2. A device for cleaning the interior of tank cars comprising a foldable tripod,

wheels carrying said tripod, a sprayer rotatably mounted upon said tripod and a coupling connection communicating with said sprayer and adapted to accommodate a hose whereby said sprayer is connected with a source of fluid to be sprayed and the tripod is pulled along upon said wheels to progressively advance rection of pull.

3. A device for cleaning the interior of tanks comprising a travelling foldable support, a-sprayer mounted upon'said support, nozzles forming part of said sprayer and ar ranged to have their exitv ends in predetermined relatively close proximity to the surthe sprayer in the diface being cleaned, and a hose connection whereby said sprayer is connected with a source of material to be sprayed and said support is pulled along to progressively advance the sprayer in the direction of pull.

4. A device for cleaning the interior of tank cars comprising a foldable tripod,

wheels carrying said tripod, a sprayer rotatably mounted upon said tripod, nozzles forming part of said sprayer, the latter being constructed and arranged to position the exit ends of said nozzles in predetermined close proximity to the surface being cleaned, and a coupling connection communicating with said sprayer and adapted to accommodate a hose whereby said sprayer is connected with a source of fluid to be sprayed and the tripod is pulled along upon said wheels to progressively advance the sprayer in the direction of pull.

5. A device for cleaning the interior of tanks comprising a travelling support, a

mounted upon said supsprayer rotatably port and consisting of a plurality of radial pipes provided at their outer ends with nozzles adjustable to varythe direction of projection therefrom and a coupling connectlon communicating with said sprayer and adapted to accommodate a hose whereby the latter is connected with a source of fluid to be sprayed.

6; The combination of a tank car having a manhole and a drainage outlet and including heating means located interiorly thereof,

with a cleaning device movable lengthwise of said tank car, interiorly thereof, a pump located exteriorly of said tank car, a connection between the suction side of said pump and saiddrainage outlet and a connection between the delivery side of said pump and said cleaning device, the latter connection serving as a means for moving said cleaning device lengthwise of said tank car.

7. The combination of a tank car having a manhole and a drainage outlet and including heating means located interiorly thereof, with a cleaning means movable lengthwise of said tank car, interiorly thereof, and comprising a foldable tripod, wheels carrying HIRAM LIGGEZFT GRAY.

of said tank car, a connection be- 

